Solid Snake was quite shocked to find that his active camouflage was no longer working. As he had landed on the deck of the disguised oil tanker, the combination of heavy rain and large impact caused the device to stop operating correctly, rendering Snake visible to any guards overlooking the deck. As fast as he could, Snake took cover behind the nearest cover he could find, being one of four small engines that were built exposed to the air. He let out a sigh of relief as the guard overlooking the deck from the bridge of the tanker did not spot him. It was not long until the codec beeped. Snake accepted the call.

"Looks like your camo's out." Otacon stated worriedly over the codec.

"I wasn't going to depend on it anyways..." Solid Snake responded, reassuring the light-hearted stallion.

Snake's ears perked up as he heard a strange sound. He cautiously peeked his head out from behind the small engine. Snake looked up to the bridge, where the unsuspecting guard was standing. Just as Snake was about to place himself behind cover again, he spotted a figure moving slowly toward the guard from behind. As Snake got a better look, he realized what it was. A Russian mercenary?! What are they doing here?! The Russian was wearing brown camouflage, with black hoof gloves on each hoof. The figure also had a pair of night vision goggles, and had a distinctive Russian assault rifle strapped to his withers. The mercenary currently held a knife in his mouth, and was preparing to slit the unfortunate guards throat.

As the Russian mercenary got a foot away from the guard, he lunged. He brought his forehooves around the guards neck and pulled the guard closer to him, and then he worked the knife around the guard's neck and delivered the killing blow, a slash across his throat. Before the guard could even make a sound, he fell to the ground with blood spurting from his airways. The mercenary retreated back into the bridge, where the controls for the tanker were housed.

Solid Snake quickly retreated behind the small engine and proceeded to call Otacon.

"What is it, Snake?" Otacon asked.

"The ship was just attacked. It looks like it's completely taken over by some sort of Russian force. I saw AN-94's and other Russian tech." Snake hurriedly told his partner.

"Looks like we're not the only one's after Metal Gear... Alright, Snake, looks like your gonna have to be even more stealthy. If you're seen by these ponies, they won't show mercy." Snake slowly nodded.

"First, get into the crew quarters. From there, proceed to the holds. That should be where the Metal Gear is..." Otacon ordered.

"That should be? You mean you're not sure?" Snake replied, now worried. He heard Otacon let out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, it was an anonymous tip, alright?" Otacon said quickly.

"An anonymous tip? I thought you were too good for those." Snake replied, even more worried. What if there isn't a Metal Gear? What if it's a trap? Snake was on the verge of panic.

"The tip was sent by by an E.E. I haven't told you this, but I have a sister. Not a real sister, more a sister in law." Otacon's tone had grown sad rather quickly. "Her name was Emma, but we always called her 'E.E'..."

Snake knew he had to go with this anonymous tip, whether he liked it or not. "Alright,  Otacon, I'm going to make my way to the crew quarters, and you can lead me on from there." He cooly stated.

"Thanks, Snake." Otacon replied graciously, and then hung up the call. Snake peeked out from behind cover, and saw that there were no mercenaries checking the deck. Once Snake was sure he could move, he ran as fast as he could to the right side of the ship, and entered the small area between the elevated bridge of the tanker and the railing. Snake silently looked to his left leg ring, and found a modified M9 tucked in it. The M9 was modified to shoot tranquilizer darts. The darts would put a guard to sleep for an hour or so, and nopony would hear anything thanks to a heavy duty silencer mounted on the barrel. Like all pistols in pony possession, the triggers were made so a pony could easily fire the weapon while holding it in their mouths. This M9 was no exception. Solid Snake pulled the M9 out of the leg ring, with his mouth, and proceeded to inch his way along the enclosed pathway.

If Otacon was correct, (Which he always was)Snake knew that the crew quarters would be somewhere along this outer edge of the ship. The bridge and other areas inside the main structure of the ship made a building-like structure that encompassed most of the ship. Snake was walking along the about ten foot space between this building and the edge of the ship. Along the rim of this main structure, doors into it could be found. the crew quarters had immediate access to the deck, so Snake was ordered to find a way into this area. It would prove harder than he thought.

Solid Snake spotted a large metal hatch that was clearly labeled Crew Quarters A. A light was hung over the hatch, but was rendered nearly useless, as rain had clearly worn it down to the point were the lightbulb only released a small beam. The storm clouds and the night combined had drowned the tanker in a humongous wave of darkness, and made it hard to see your own hooves. This was only appreciated by Snake as he could not be spotted easily, or be heard due to the torrential downpour of water bombarding the ship and drowning out any sounds.

Snake quietly began to inch his way toward the hatch. All of the sudden, Snake came to a sudden halt as he felt cold metal press agains his mane. He slowly turned around, to be met with an assault rifle barrel pointed right between his eyes.

A gunshot resounded through the air, shaking the night stronger than thunder.

Next Chapter: Solid Snake 3: Inside The Ship Estimated time remaining: 4 Minutes